The Dastardly Ways Fast Food Joints Sucker You Into Eating More Junk

Because Jedi mind tricks don't work on everyone, the fast food industry has been forced to come up with other creative (read: devious) ways of getting us to cram more greasy goodness into our pie holes.

As BuzzFeed explains, there are at least twelve wiley ways that the masterminds behind the Super Size phenomenon operate -- and they're all geared towards getting you to ingest more than you intend to.

From seemingly clever "inventions" like KFC's Go Cup which fits seamlessly into your car's cup holder, to the surreptitious increase of basic sizes (in 1980 a McDonald's large soda was 21 oz., by the 90s it was 32 oz.), consumers are being hoodwinked at every turn.

Take, for example, the design of most fast food joints. As BuzzFeed explains, "The color red, the bright lighting, the clatter of noise, and the nonstop smells all make us think we're hungrier and in more of a rush than we really are." And, whaddaya know? When you're in a hurry, you eat quickly and, yep, when you eat quickly you eat past your "full" point.

Of course, many of us don't even bother to go into the "restaurant," opting instead to remain stationary in our cars as we drive-thru our breakfasts, lunches or dinners. Factor in that many of the bigger burger slingers now offer home delivery and the opportunities for slothful tendencies increase exponentially.

Then, there's the addition of superfluous ingredients that make foods less healthy and more fattening. Witness the proliferation of extra cheese being added into crusts and onto patties, and being sprinkled willy nilly as a topping on just about everything. Seemingly innocuous salads also fall victim to calorie padding thanks to the additions of fried croutons, sugared nuts and fatty dressings.

Of course, one of the most obvious ways these masters of manipulation get us to consume more than we'd planned is by packaging calorie laden foods together in hard-to-resist, easy-on-your-wallet combos. A "meal" is always cheaper than buying its components a la carte and the mindset of the "getting something for a bargain" leads consumers to eat items they'd otherwise skip.

All this is not to say that it's not ok to indulge in two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame bun every now and again, it's just a reminder to keep your senses about you the next time you step foot in (or drive up to) a restaurant that may not have your heart's health or waistline's best interests in mind.